Mets’ Young Infielders Playing a Big Role in Lineup Problems

The Mets' lineup has been struggling as a whole, but the failure of Brett Baty and Mark Vientos to step up may point to longer-term issues with the unit.

Apr 8, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) hits a double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are digging themselves an early hole in the standings thanks to an anemic offensive performance. While the Mets can reasonably expect Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette to turn things around, the underperformance of youngsters Mark Vientos and Brett Baty could be a longer term issue.

Brett Baty so far in 2026:

12/59
.203 BA
7 RBI
.485 OPS
.197 OBP
0 BB
20 K

Baty is the only qualified batter in the MLB without a walk. pic.twitter.com/PKFQIzXaOp

— SleeperMets (@SleeperMets) April 16, 2026

Baty had a solid 2025 season, hitting .254 with 18 home runs and 50 RBI while playing strong defense at third base. The Mets declined to field trade offers for Baty after adding Bichette, viewing him as a super-sub type replacement for Jeff McNeil, but he is currently riding an 0-for-18 slump with nine strikeouts to drop his batting average to .203.

Longest Mets 0-fors this season:

1. Carson Benge, 0-for-24
2. Mark Vientos, 0-for-23*
3. Marcus Semien, 0-for-20
4. Brett Baty, 0-for-17*

*Denotes active streak.

This may go without saying, but no other team has had four players with hitless streaks of that length this season.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 16, 2026

Baty is the only qualified hitter in the league that has yet to draw a walk, which is a sign he is not seeing the strike zone particularly well. Despite his struggles, the Mets chose to hit Baty third last night to create more left/right balance at the top of their lineup against Shohei Ohtani.

Things aren't going much better for Vientos, who is mired in his own 0-for-23 slump that saw him leave a ton of runners on base during the Mets' last homestand. With Jorge Polanco potentially headed for the injured list with lingering Achilles tendonitis, the Mets are in a bad situation where both players need to play regularly between the first base and DH spots.

It's possible Jorge Polanco (left Achilles bursitis) goes on the IL after all. His foot was hurting quite a bit again after last night's game. The Mets will give him the off day to let it calm down, then reevaluate Friday in Chicago.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 16, 2026

The Mets Need More Production From Baty And/Or Vientos

If Polanco does land on the injured list, the Mets are thin on candidates to play first base. Jared Young was hitting well at the beginning of the season but tore his MCL and is out for 6-to-8 weeks, taking away another option that Carlos Mendoza could use to generate some life for his offense.

MJ Melendez had two hits in his first action of the season for the Mets last night and has first base experience. Even if the Mets catch lightning in a bottle for a few weeks with Melendez, he can only play one position, meaning one of Baty or Vientos needs to be the every day first baseman during a potential Polanco IL stint.

Seeing both young players in a combined 0-for-41 slump is a big reason why the offense can't seem to get out of its own way. Mendoza has frequently used both players in the middle of the batting order, which has backfired when the pair have short-circuited innings with strikeouts and failing to advance runners.

It is still just the middle of April, so there is plenty of runway to turn their season around, but that task will get harder if the offense continue to be non-existent. Baty and Vientos have not lived up to the expectations the Mets had for them this season, and if they don't turn it around things could get late pretty early in Flushing.

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